Lots of news reports here (Washington state) about the early warning system and "orderly" evacuations of the Washington & Oregon coasts

My non-technical wife asked why a warning was not issued in Japan, so people could get away before the Tsunami struck... and I had to remind here that since the earthquake was IN Japan, there was simply no time to issue a warning before the waves hit... then she understood

Hopefully, the Japanese will be able to put out the fires quickly, and get on with searching for survivors

We've got friends all along the US West Coast, plus Hawai`i, and are busy trying to make contact to check on them. Right now, Hawai`i is being affected right now, and it appears that the West Coast will be soon.

I must be just getting old, as I clearly recall Godzilla being a "villan" in the beginning, but know that at some time he (she?) "turned," and became a hero. Pretty much the same with Mothra, Rodan, and Ghidorah. One moment, they were tearing up Tokyo, and the next, they were saving all of Asia from all sorts of evil-doers. I just do not recall what gave them a change-of-heart.

Sort of like one day Hulk Hogan is the good guy, telling little kids to respect their parents and eat their brocolli and the next day, he's a villan. Maybe there is a yen-yang, balance thing, where if Hulk Hogan goes over to the "dark side," say Rodan must come over to the good - and one-for-one thing?

Still, right now, Japan looks like the old, evil Godzilla has rampaged, and they could sure use the good one right now.

You know, I can imagine a giant see-saw, with an equal number of heros on one side, and villans on the other. When the time comes to change roles, one hero and one villan approach the fulcrum from their opposite sides - one step at a time, to maintain balance. Then, they grasp arms and jump and rotate in unison, like some Cirque du Soleil performers, switching places, to slowly make their way to the respective group - the see-saw never leaves level, and the role-reversal is complete.

The great producers of the world such as Speilberg, Cameron and Jackson should team up with Japanese producers and make a "Blockbuster" science fiction film to benefit Japan. The destruction is already there, just need the monsters. I would go see it even if it wasn't so great if the proceeds went to benefit the people touched by this disaster. Do a Godzilla and Mothra vs the Cloverfield monster. Now those two could do some damage.

And here I thought that Cloverfield was Intels' newest chipset... until I Googled it. Who knew?

Yes, I think that a major benefit film would be great.

I hope that the US Pacific Fleet can provide much aid and in time for many.

Hunt

PS - all of our Hawaiian friends have checked in. No harm and no damage. One couple happened to be on the Mainland, and their Lab had to be evacuated, as their home is on the beach - but that was just a precaution and the tsunami was fairly mild there, and stopped short of the house.

I hope that the US Pacific Fleet can provide much aid and in time for many.

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after making some fast movies as per Chuck's suggestion with Japanese monsters for aid ( like rock and roll concerts for the needy ) the US fleet should be able to get some help there quick ( I mean, they ARE boats after all going to an island ) ....even if they want the bases (ports ) for them to go away.

and no doubt the Japanese owners of the local Long Island driving range / restaurant complex wont keep looking at me ( a white guy ) like I have 3 heads when I go there.

oddly enough I grew up in New Hyde Park and the golf thing was built on what used to be a "landfill" ... and I take breaks from whacking golfballs into the nets 3000 yards away by looking at the little salamanders and other creatures near the fence where the old dump borders their golf haven.... some snakes show up too !

maybe they are Korean though...instead of Japanese.. sorta look alike to me

GO US FLEET !

ps. the only reason I can get out to 3000 yards ( really...this is a confession ) ....is by using the frozen snake bazooka woody !

this news snippet from ny times at 8:49 pm est....on internet ( so who knows how often they update their pages ...dont wanna pay people to actually do that if it can be avoided )....

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There was a fire at the plant on Tuesday, at the same reactor — No. 4 — and it was not immediately clear if this was the same fire or a new one. The cause of the fire, or fires, was also unclear, in good part because it is too dangerous for workers to get near the reactor.

The reports Wednesday came as an official at Japan’s nuclear watchdog agency, Minoru Ohgoda, said a proposed plan to use helicopters to put more cold water into a boiling rooftop storage pool for spent uranium fuel rods at the reactor was looking unlikely. The rods are still radioactive and potentially as hot and dangerous as the fuel rods inside the reactors if not kept submerged in water.

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now correct me if I'm wrong here....but today is Tuesday in NY at 8:50 pm EST ( whoops , sorry ...now its daylight savings time...so make that EDT )....off by an hour in springtime so we can work more hours in daylight ...what a relief !

anyway, if its tuesday and there are fires or no fires and its dangerous and stuff things are melting and " reports Wednesday came as an official...."....ITS THE ISLAND OF THE DAY BEFORE ( umberto eco !!!! )

SHOOTERNZ.....is in that land of the future ! PLUS, recently had his own earthquack fairly recently I think.... ( hard to tell as my attention span is about equal to a gnat )....

and why do all those videos of normal people in Japan show them wearing surgical masks even when there HASN'T been some horrible calamity ? Is daily life so full of pollutants that people need to wear surgical maskes just to say hi to each other ? Something's not right ......

In Craig's case, the earthquakes were on the South Island (think Jersey to LI), down where they produce that wonderful Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, and also some up-and-coming Pinot Noirs.

Now, there is a lot of seismic speculation, regarding where, on the "Ring of Fire," the next earthquake is likely to hit.

One "talking head," but one, who has nailed several recent US earthquakes with alarming accuracy, mentioned that the "dead fish" in Redondo Beach, CA, could well be a harbinger. He's saying that major seismic activity on the US West Coast, is very likely.

Gotta' fly through both LAX and SFO in the next two weeks, so hope we hit there, on "calm days." Even on a clear, calm day, SFO can be, well "interesting."

I was thinking that maybe since mcDonalds and PizzaHUT and all these other really great American International companies with free trade agreements can spread out and offer solace to those in temporary turmoil ( re: water, food, shelter )....that maybe I would REMIND everyone that the basic model for this free interplanetary "trade" stuff ...is based on the pizza pie delivery system ( fed ex, ups, usps, etc. )

so basically, no matter what the problem is ....just order a pizza and some soda and you'll be OK, is what Im thinking....trust me, the banks will love you for it ! As G. Bush said.... " go shopping ! "

I've never traveled to Japan, and if I were to do so, I would not plan on dining at Little Caesar's, or similar. But I wonder, do the toppings there reflect a Western bent, or Eastern one? I mean, does one order various types of sushi pizzas, or the typical selections in the US? Just curious.

In the case of Japan, I think that it will be to save everyone possible, treat their injuries, rebuild the areas of the country devastated and THEN "go shopping." I do not expect that we'll see them standing around with signs, demanding that the government rushes in with boatloads of money, the SeaBees and do everything for them.

I just hope that the world does not turn its back, assuming that Japan is a wealthy nation, and can fend for themselves. It's all too easy to feel compelled to help out a poor, third-world country, and forget that a lot of logistic aid would go a long way with a highly-developed country. Also, I think that one would find that the vast majority of the aid would get to the people, unlike in some other parts of the world, where hundreds of millions in aid is languishing in government savings accounts, and the people are still living in cardboard hovels I just do not see that happening in Japan.

I once asked a woman what she was looking for in a man. She replied "A man with a good head on his shoulders". That's a good place for it to be. Also two heads are better than one. So drink the milk and enjoy.

I'm originally from Los Angeles California. We were invited to lunch at a friend's apartment some time back in 1989. The host was outside for some time, so I went outside to see what was up. He was talking to a man in his 40's who must have wandered in from the Venice Beach area or something. He had two heads and was walking around in public with a near exact replica of his real head. He was wearing a shirt with two neck openings. He described his problem keeping his prosthetic head steady while walking. I'm not making this up. The host invited the man into his home (I didn't think that was such a good idea) and he told us the story related to why he walked around with two heads. Honestly, this is a true story. I wonder how people in Georgia would react to a guy walking the streets with two heads? If we could get our world leaders to opt for a prosthetic head (to replace the one they have), we could eliminate a lot of war and suffering in the world.

I think that there ARE a lot of people with two heads already - we just cannot see but one at a time...

When my wife was at Wharton, she went into NYC with a classmate, who lived there. They were doing several "tourist-type" things, when on a busy Manhattan corner, they encountered a man dressed up like Carmen Miranda, but the headdress was not a fruitbowl, but a giant stand for about a dozen parrots. Each was dressed in a unique costume and dancing around on this contraption, while the man did the cha-cha. Though my wife grew up in New Orleans, and had seen many odd things, especially during Mardi Gras, she began to laugh. Her friend pulled her aside and whispered, "In New York, we never look at anyone on the street, no matter how much of an oddity they are... " I think that the same holds true for Venice Beach - just keep walking and do not make eye-contact with either head!!!!!!

yep, is a bit strange...the "leader" concept....and the call for "democracy" ....cure all of the day.

not to get maudlin, and on a rant....but most running for office lately have been decrying "the broken govt" idea....so they get elected to the broken govt ( apparently to fix it ) but now they are part of the govt...promptly adjusting to the celebration of getting elected.

the protesters getting shot over there....somehow ignoring the ohio state murders by natl guard ?

omg , lets free the world to be as fair and just as our federal troops and northern govt ( union ) installed in texas and the south after 1865.... not too much corruption here compared to THERE. gee...seems not too long ago we got votes for women, blacks, equal rights and so on.....right to own property, whatever.... lets make those idiots over there love the protesters ! like we do.

its almost overwhelming to me, this desire for leadership, and moral decency and education ( wisdom ) that leadership needs....which is always the case for every generation....

first draft unfinished ( yes, unfinished cause I finally figured out the crisis and resolution and dont have time to waste writing stuff thats already done in my head ! )....story is available.... must be converted to shooting script also....this means roughly 6 months of your life at the keyboard while you "imagine " stuff on screen and drool a lot ....or act heathen at times ...all that fun creative stuff....( and dont eat for days )

Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go. Too many hours cooped up in that spaceship, I'll warrant.

By the way, it occurs to me I've never invited you over for any of the shooting while we're in production for the series. Anytime you & the missus want to drive up to the Provinces, just let me know. There's all the typical chaos, but we have a nice group of people.